Special' Kids Get A Boost

May 11, 1986|by JOHN KUNDA, The Morning Call

Items of interest heard along the way:

When the decision was made to have the Special Olympics of the Lehigh Valley the prime beneficiary of the Michelob-Benner Fairways Pro-Am Golf Tournament, Rich Agretto, a county director for Special Olympics, said: "this is like winning the lottery for these kids." Agretto was overwhelmed with the decision because "our kids will benefit in many ways." The pro-am, the brainchild of Allentown Municipal pro Jim Booros, features anywhere from 18 to 22 touring professionals. The event has been a hit with the community since it started four years ago. This year's tournament is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 1, which happens to be Labor Day. Booros, a tour player himself for four years, expects pretty much the same faces who have appeared at the Allentown course since the inception of the tournament, but, he adds: "I guess it would be nice to get some new faces." Some of the "new faces" he expects to invite include three young pros who captured tournament titles earlier in the season - Dan Forsman, Donnie Hammond and Kenny Knox. Booros also mentioned the possibility of Mac O'Grady, thecontroversial tour player, coming to Allentown.

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So, you thought night football would never come to Penn State? In case you missed the announcement last week, the Nittany Lions will open their 100th football season against Temple on Sept. 6, with a starting time of 7 p.m. It will mark the first time ever that a night game will be played at Beaver Stadium. Early season night games wouldn't be too bad, but when daylight saving time ends (the last Sunday in October), it becomes a different story. The majority of the 85,000 fans who watch Penn State play football at home have a good two or three-hour drive. The weather changes quickly in the hills of Centre County. And on the subject of Penn State, the Penn State Club of Lehigh County says plans are well under way for the June 1 all-sports dinner at the Holiday Inn West. Ron Dickerson, the secondary coach, will be on hand to review spring practice. A number of current and past Penn State players are expected to attend.

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This kid outfielder for the Reading Phils, Steve DeAngelis, is fast becoming the talk of the Eastern League. For the second time in three weeks, he has won the player of the week award in the league. The 22-year-old DeAngelis hit .500 for the week, with four runs scored; two doubles, two homers and eight RBIs. To top off all those good statistics, DeAngelis has three game-winning RBIs in 19 games this season; he has walked 14 times and has struck out just once. His hefty .415 average leads the Eastern League by some 40 points.

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The Phillies limped out of Veterans Stadium for a short road trip, which some are hoping does them a world of good. They've been in Atlanta for the weekend, and after playing two games against the Astros tomorrow and Tuesday in Houston, they'll be back at the Vet with Pete Rose and the Cincinnati Reds the first opponents. Things have gone sour for John Felske and his club on the last homestand, and the poor play reflects in the attendance figures. The Phils are a little over 34,000 behind last year's attendance for the same time period. With the shabby play come all kinds of stories - player shifts, player demotions and the like. Unless, they snap out of the slump, they'll be out of contention long before the Fourth of July. And that doesn't help attendance, not even a little bit.

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Meanwhile, the other team in town, the Eagles, are getting a good part of the media attention. Buddy Ryan is making it that way. Seems he always has something to say, and he doesn't care how he says it. Ryan's quarterback coach, Doug Scovil, had some nice things to say about former Pitt star, Matt Cavanaugh, who came to Philadelphia from the 49ers. "Matt can throw all the passes, long, short and medium," said Scovil. "He has a great touch on the ball and is especially good at picking out secondary receivers. He's a good all-around quarterback." Cavanaugh was brought in to push veteran Ron Jaworski, and from those close to the Eagles, he's doing a good job. Jaworski is responding well, too, they say.

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Bob Hutnik is looking for a pretty representative field for next Saturday's Pro ABCD Scramble at Woodland Hills. The event is the first of a series of tournaments run by the Lehigh and Northampton Counties Golf Association. Eleven member clubs will send teams to the tournament. In last year's event, an Allentown team, headed by Jim Booros won the tournament. Booros' amateur partners were Dale Smith, Whitey Havir, Ray Luknicki and Jim Yeager.

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Special Sunday Salute to area golfers who are playing well - Ken Stephany Jr. (former Macungie resident now lives in Myrtle Beach and recently qualified for the national long drive contest. His next appearance will be at the Kemper Open in Bethesda, Md., on May 26); Del Hessner, Rudy Amelio, Jim Yeager (handicap coming down at Brookside); Harvey Hottle; Henry, Abby, John, Sonny and Chink Ortwein; Bobby Schantz (ex-big league pitcher playing up a storm at Locust Valley); Stan McCormick (trick shot off the practice tee); Jim Waas (one of the best putters in area); Reds Eckenrode, Dale Laub, Bob Schoener III, Manny Muniz, Pete Delich Sr. and Todd Kressley.